Motor vehicles have included dashboards, also known as instrument panels, within the interior of the vehicle for decades. During much of this time, instrument panels such as the one shown in FIG. 1 generally at reference numeral 5, have included standard items such as a dash board 9, a panel 6 that included a speedometer, an oil gauge and the like, a heater, venting and air-conditioning (HVAC) control panel 7 and a radio panel 8. Such prior art panels have typically had a relatively narrow width W1 as shown in FIG. 2 relative to the width D1 of a front door opening, such that the instrument panel assembly 5 could be installed as one unit within the motor vehicle.
As motor vehicles, and in particular their electronic control systems become ever more complex, the components attached to an instrument panel continue to increase in size and number. In addition, the design or style of motor vehicles continues to change, with instrument panels incorporated with center consoles creating evermore complex and larger panels to be installed within the motor vehicle. An illustrative example of such an instrument panel assembly is shown generally at reference numeral 10 in FIG. 3. As shown in this figure, an instrument panel 100 can have a first electronic panel 110, and a second electronic panel 120 attached thereto. In addition, the instrument panel 100 can be designed such that a center console 200 having a variety of components—such as a storage compartment 210, a gear shifter lever 220, etc.—is attached to the instrument pane 100.
Although newer styled instrument panels provide for aesthetically pleasing interiors and new features such as navigation systems, such instrument panels have an increased width as shown by the dimension W2 in FIG. 4. The increase in the width of the instrument panel assembly 10 reduces free space e1 between the instrument panel assembly 10 and a doorframe 12 which the assembly 10 must pass through during installation.
A minimum spacing between the instrument panel assembly 10 and the doorframe 12 is typically demanded by production line standards in order to ensure that the instrument panel 100 and any components attached thereto are not be impacted, scraped, etc. during their installment through the doorframe 12. As one would expect, the stylistic design of some instrument panel assemblies do not meet this minimum space requirement and thus the motor vehicle manufacturer heretofore has been forced to redesign the instrument panel in order to reduce its width. In the alternative, the second electronic panel 120 has been installed or attached to the instrument panel 100 after the instrument panel 100 has been attached within the motor vehicle. However, the installation of the second electronic panel 120 after the instrument panel 100 has been installed within the motor vehicle can result in the entire instrument panel assembly 10 having to be removed from the motor vehicle if the second electronic panel 120 fails to operate during subsequent testing.
In summary, the complexity of new motor vehicles continues to require ever increasing complex instrument panels which continue to push their overall width dimension to greater values. In addition, if an electronic panel is installed as part of the instrument panel assembly after the instrument panel has been installed within the motor vehicle, if a function of the electronic panel fails to work during initial quality control testing, then the entire instrument panel assembly may have to be removed from the motor vehicle, thereby increasing costs and reducing productivity for the production of the motor vehicles. Therefore, an instrument panel and a method for installing an instrument panel assembly as one unit within the motor vehicle when the overall width of the instrument panel assembly is too wide to fit within the doorframe, would be desirable.